


all i ever wanna be (is somebody to you)

by PitchonthePitch



Category: Sex Education (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22474924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PitchonthePitch/pseuds/PitchonthePitch
Summary: Jackson likes being friends with Viv.  She's smart, she's cool, she knows who she is.  She might even be the most amazing person Jackson's ever met--Oh.  Oh, no.In other words: Jackson realizes he has feelings for Viv.  Being Jackson, he decides to do what he does best: make a grand gesture in the hopes of winning her affections.
Relationships: Jackson Marchetti/Viv Odesanya, Jackson marchetti/vivienne odesanya, Past jackson marchetti/maeve wiley, Viv Odesanya/Jackson Marchetti, Viv/Jackson Marchetti, Vivienne Odesanya/Jackson Marchetti, i don't know what the ship name is help, jackson marchetti/viv, jackson/viv, viv/jackson, vivson
Comments: 19
Kudos: 129





	all i ever wanna be (is somebody to you)

Jackson liked being friends with Viv. He liked it so much that he was surprised to think there had ever been a time when they weren’t friends.

Viv was awesome. She was smart and sure of herself and honestly impossible not to like. And she wasn’t so different from the other people in Jackson’s life. Like, it turned out Viv and Maeve actually had a lot in common -- they were both readers, Quizheads, feminists… It was strange to think that two people from such different social circles could have so much in common.

_I guess I have a type._

Jackson blinked, taken aback by that thought. He hadn’t meant to think it; he didn’t mean it.

He and Viv weren’t…

Then again, it was a bit weird that he was comparing his ex and his friend in his head, wasn’t it? Friends didn’t do that.

_Oh._

Jackson blinked.

_Oh, no._

He had to do something. That much was clear. He had to see her and… make a grand gesture. Like he did with Maeve, singing to her in front of the whole school.

Well, maybe not quite like what he did with Maeve. He had a feeling Viv would kill him if he did something like that to her in front of the whole school. She’d worry about getting in trouble for making a scene at school; she’d say it wouldn’t look good on her CV.

No, he needed to do something special for Viv. He did singing for Maeve; he did swimming for his mum; he needed to do something for her, something he knew she would love.

The nice thing about Viv was that she wasn’t difficult to know; he didn’t have to go to Otis or anybody else to find out what she liked. She had a mental list of her ten top favorite books of all time. She could tell you at the drop of a hat which universities she wanted to go to and why. Jackson even knew which fictional character she had a crush on: the lamest romantic lead of all time, Mr. Darcy. Jackson didn’t really get why so many girls seemed to like Darcy; sure, he ended up being an okay guy at the end of the book, but he was a total arsehole to Elizabeth at the start. Plus, he wasn’t even leading man material; he was awkward and uncool, just like…

Just like that guy Dex from Quizheads that Viv was into!

Jackson wasn’t the only one with a type. Viv had one, too, and it was guys like Dex and Darcy. Nerds.

In other words, guys who were decidedly not Jackson.

Now, for most guys, this realization would be troubling; maybe even detrimental. For Jackson Marchetti, however, it was merely a challenge.

He was starting to get an idea of what grand gesture he needed to make for Viv.

He decided to do the whole thing in the study room, where they’d spent so much time together when they first met. He couldn’t light candles in school, but he brought a few lavender-scented air fresheners because he knew lavender was her favorite smell (She appreciated its calming qualities). He only flicked on one of the light switches to try and create the illusion of dim lighting. Lastly, he put a little bouquet of flowers in a pencil case on the middle of their desk: lilies, her favorite flower.

The look on Viv’s face when she opened the door to the study room was priceless. He’d never seen her look so surprised before. Viv didn’t usually get surprised; always being two steps ahead of everyone around her didn’t leave much chance for surprises. But Jackson had been careful not to give himself away while he was planning all this for her: he wanted it to be special.

He was so glad he’d succeeded. Even if she rejected him -- which was fairly likely, given that he clearly wasn’t her type -- at least he’d have this memory. The look of total amazement on her face.

The amazement only grew as Jackson stood up and walked towards her; now she could see what he was wearing.

No one could ever accuse Jackson Marchetti of half-assing anything. He ordered a Darcy costume online just for this. Just for her.

“Jackson, what are you doing?” He could see the gears in her mind whirring, trying to catch up with what was happening.

He led her to the desk; pulled out a chair for her. Soundlessly, she took a seat; she seemed a bit speechless. He sat down across from her, steadying his nerves. Telling someone how you felt was never easy, but he knew he had to do it. He’d come this far; he couldn’t back out now, could he? Besides, at least he didn’t have to form the words himself; he could just borrow from Jane Austen.

He cleared his throat, and started. “In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

He saw it click in her mind as she recognized that line. “You’re doing Mr. Darcy,” she said.

Jackson ducked his head in a way that was definitely Mr. Darcy levels of awkward. “I know you like him,” he said. “I wanted to be someone you liked.”

Viv smiled at him, but there was a sadness that shone in her eyes. “You’re already someone I like.” She turned her attention to the rest of the room. “You got me lilies,” she said, looking down at the flowers.

“Your favorite,” he nodded.

“And you made it smell like” -- she sniffed, breathing it in -- “lavender.”

“Yeah.”

“Jackson, this is so sweet--”

“You don’t have to do that.”

Viv cocked her head at him, looking surprised for the second time that day. He hoped he could still keep making her look that way, even after she rejected him. “What?” she asked.

“You don’t have to let me down easy. I can handle rejection; I’ve dealt with it before.” He started to stand; she stopped him, with a hand on his arm.

“Jackson, that’s not -- Have you ever heard of the five love languages?”

He was so surprised by the change in subject that he sat back down without a fight. “I think so. They’re like, the ways you show love to other people, right?”

“Right,” Viv said. “There’s words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. And my love language is quality time. You don’t need to do some big, grand gesture for me; and I never want you to feel like you need to perform in front of me. Just -- just be with me.”

“That’s it?” Jackson was frowning; he was confused. No one ever made him feel like he didn’t need to do anything -- like he could just be.

Maybe Viv wasn’t as much like Maeve as he thought. Or maybe… their relationship wasn’t like his relationship with Maeve. Maybe it could be better.

“That’s it. Just be with me, and be yourself.” Viv was looking at him, really looking at him, and she looked so… content. Like she meant it. Like she really was okay with him just being himself: no acting, no performing some big show, no pretending to be someone he wasn’t.

He took her hand in his and looked back at her. He felt content.

He squeezed her hand and said, “Okay.”

“Oh, and by the way, Jackson?”

“Yeah, Viv?”

“Elizabeth Bennet wasn’t at all impressed by Darcy’s first confession of love. The speech he made that won her over was, ‘My affections and wishes are unchanged; but one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever.’”

“Oh.” Jackson was smiling, despite himself. Viv was still holding his hand, and she didn’t even seem mad that he had buggered the Darcy speech. “It’s been awhile since I’ve read Pride and Prejudice.”

“It’s okay,” Viv said, and she was smiling too. “That’s why you have me, right?”

He squeezed her hand tighter; interlaced their fingers. “That’s why I have you; among other reasons.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this very quickly. Please forgive any spelling or grammar mistakes. And leave a comment if you liked it! :)


End file.
